Tumbler switch



May 28, 1929.

R. R. Smm 1,114,526

TUMBLER SWITCH Filed Nov. 5, 1925 INVENTOR. liv/WMM A T TORNEYS.-

Patented May 28, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RALPH R. SMITH, OF JACKSON HEIGHTS, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO NATIONAL CARBON COMPANY, INC., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

TUMBLER SWITCH.

Application led November 3, 1925. Serial No. 66,607.

This invention relates to electric switches particularly. tadapted for battery operated electric hand lanterns hand lamps, and the like. Some or all of the features of this switch may be used in other circuits of low voltage and wattage.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a switch for battery operated hand lanterns which is simple in construction, positivel in operation, cheap to. manufacture, and easy to operate.

Another object of this invention is to pro- -vide a switch which may be readily operated by a person whose fingers `are large, clumsy,

l5 stiff, or hardened by toil. For instance, it

may be readily operated by a man whose lingers are stiif and numb due to exposure to cold. Also, it may be readily operated by a man whose hands are incased in heavy gloves or mittens. l.

Another object of this invention is to pro- .vide a switchwhich will not accidentally close the electric circuit and exhaust the battery so it will be useless at a time when it is needed.

lamps are often subjected.

One form of the mechanism for accomplishing these results isshown in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 isa vertical ysection through the front part of an electric hand lantern showing the improved switch mounted thereon;

Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are, respectively, views of the switch from the left, rear and bottom sides.

hand lantern; 12 is the bottom section; 13 the top section; 14 is the electric bulb; 15 the reflector; 16 the glass window; 17 the battery; 18 is a conductor which carries current from the battery to the electric bulb; 19 is a conelectric circuit and conducts current back to the battery.

. The switch comprises two parts, A and B. A is the manually operated, oscillatable cir- -cuit closing and opening lever or tumbler and has an outer portion or handle 20, an enlarged central supporting section 21, and a Contact making section 22, which is acted upon by the member B to lsomewhat control its action. B is the combined supporting, limiting, and controlling member and has a .base 23 provided with a bent portion forming a recess 23 in its under side arranged to partially surround the enlarged portion 21 of the lever A. Two resilient members or arms 25, preferably integral with the base and turned rearwardly at its lateral edges, partially surround the contact-making end 22 of the lever A and are bent over the'recess 23 and toward one another at 25 so as to forma restricted passage or throat through which the end 22 passes and is urged to the limit of its travel in either direction. f

rlhe enlarged central portion 21 of the switch tumbler A may be either cylindrical or globular in shape and preferably tits snugly into abevel edged opening 21 in the lantern case 11 or other suitable support. This opening is of a size that will permit the handle 20 to freely move through the range of its travel and, at the same time, will not permit the enlarged portion 21 to pass therethrough. The base 23 is secured to the inside of the wall 11 by rivets 24 or otherwise, so that the recess 23 therein forms the rest of the socket to receive the enlargement on the lever A between said base and said wall. A slot 26 in the recess of the base is slightly wider than the diameter of the tumbler section '22 and eruides itin its movement ina plane perpendicular to the base 23. The top end of this slot'forms a stop which limits the upward travel of the lever. Preferably, the end 27 of the conductor 19 limits the move- Vment of the lever in the downward direction. In Fig. 1, 11 is the case of a conventional To move the switch from closed position, as shown in Fig. 1, to open position pressure is applied at the top of the tumbler handle 20. As the tumbler starts to move, the end 22 separates the resilient controlling members 25 of part B suiiciently to let it pass between them. 100

As the tumbler A nears its open position and the end 22 passes beyond the parts 25', the controlling members 25 of part B movetoward each other-and, due to their shape, have a camming action on the curved end 22 tending to sna Vthe tumbler to its open osition and hold 1t there. Pressure applic to the under side of the tumbler handle 20 will like- Wise move it to its closed position with a snap action, and the outwardly bent ends of the arms 25 hold-the contacting-endv ing member B may be changed to meetvariousvl conditions without departing from the spirit of this invention. For instance, the shape of the tumbler handle A may be square, hexagonalcylindrical, or of a shape having an enlarged head portion; the end may be fiat or oval and all or part of it may be knurled or otherwise roughened. |Ihe central portion 2l of part A may be either round, cylindrical, elliptical, or conlcal. Also, the attaching surface of the supporting member B may be\ formed to lit a section of the lantern case which is not aalatsurface and the controlling spring portions might be of a shape other than that shown. Furthermore, any convenient number of attaching rivets or other attaching means may be used.

I claim:

1. In an electric switch, the combination v with an oscillating lever yhaving a handle at one end, contacting means adjacent its other end, and an enlargement between said ends;- of supporting and guiding means for said 1ever comprising a member having an opening through which said handle projects, a base secured to said member and having a bent portion opposite said opening to receive said enlargement, said bent portion being provided with a slot through-which the. contacting end of said lever projects and whereby the lever is guided, and an upturned section on the side of said base having a resilient portion extending into the path of said lever.

2. In an electric switch, the combination with an oscillating lever having a h a'ndle at one/end, contacting means adjacent its other end, and an enlargement between said ends; of supporting and guiding means forv said lever comprising la supporting member having an opening through whichV said handle projects, a base secured to sald member having abent portion opposite said opening to r eceive said enlargement, an opening 1n sald 'bent portion through which the-contacting end of said lever projects, and arms upturned from the lateral edges of said base and arranged to cooperate with said contacting end.

3. In an electric switch, the combination with an oscillating lever, of a support through which said lever projects, a base secured to said support and having a recess in its surface facing said support to provide a socket for a part of said lever, said base having a slot which receives part of said lever and restricts its movement to a plane perpendicular to said base and limits its travel, said base also having resilient members uptur'ned from its sides and cooperating with said lever to snap it into open or closed circuit position.

4. In an electric switch, the combination of a support having an opening therethrough an oscillating switch lever having a handle proj eeting through said opening, a contacting portion, and an intermediate portion bearing against said supportand closing said opening; a base secured to said support having a ,socket to receive said intermediate portion and hold it between said support and base; said base having a slot in its socket through which said contacting portion projects and whereby the lever is guided'in a plane perpendicular to said support and its travel is limited in one direction, said base also'having integral resilient Vmembers bent up from the sides thereof between said socket and one end of the base arranged to form a throat to guide said lever and operative to snap said lever to the limit of its travel in either direction; and a contact engageable by said contacting portion and adapted to limit the travel of said lever in one direction.

5. In an electric switch, the combination with a switch lever having a handle at one end, contacting means at its other end, and

a transversely disposed enlargementintermediate said ends of supporting means for said lever comprising two apertured members forming a recess for said enlargement, one of said members having parallelresilient members extending upwardly from the sides thereof in planes substantially perpendicular to said member, said resilient members being shaped to :form a constricted opening therebetween.

In testimony whereof,'I affix my signature.

' RALPH a. SMITH. 

